Visible-index device



p l 1929- R. M. VAN VALKENBURGH 1,710,493

VISIBLE INDEX DEVICE Filed June 28, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Richard manvalkenbmh BY J April 1929. R. 4M. VAN VALKENBURGH VISIBLE INDEX DEVICE Filed June 28; 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. lkenbnrfih Ri chard M.VEI]] Va Patented Apr. 23, 1929. i 1,710,493 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD M. VAN VALKENBURGH, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO IRVING- IPITT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

VISIBLE-INDEX DEVICE. Application filed June 28, 1926. Serial No. 119,226.

This invention relates to a visible index parts throughout the several views, and Figs. device and has for its primary object the 1 to 7 inclusive illustrate a preferred way provision of certain improvements in means of making a leaf in accordance with the infor cooperating with a plurality of sheetventlon. It is understood that many strucholding elements to hold a number of sheets tural changes may be made, all of which will 60 or cards in the proper position after they conform to the present invention and that have been inserted or positioned .on the holdthe well-known'ring binder 9, which has here I i b a I been shown as the means for supporting the One of the primary objects of the instant many sheets 10 in the proper overlapped reinvention is the provision of a novelly conlatlon, may be any suitable device. 65 structed leaf adapted to precludeobjection- As is customary, the binder is made up of able displacement of one, or all of the sheets coacting prongs 12, which open and close which are positioned thereon in overlapping in the well-known manner. Leaf 13, which relation. carries the important structural features of 5 Still another object of the invention is the invention, should be made of extra heavy 70 I to provide a novel structure which will permaterial to hold the overlapping sheets 10 mit of removing or placing any of the visible fiat while entries are being made thereon.

index sheets without interference, yet will The backs of the many sheets 10 may be perform the proper holding function at all written upon after they are carried over times. prongs 12 to lie against the back of the ad- 75 Yet a further object of this invention is joining leaf 13. Thus, a perfect writing the provision of coacting sheets and holding surface is presented for both sides of sheets means which will assure a firm grip along 1.0 without removing them from position in the bound edge. the holder.

Many minor objects will appear during a In the preferred form, leaf 13 carries a 80 the course of the specification referring to reinforcing strip 14 adjacent the bound edge the accompanying drawings, in which: and has perforations 15 extending there- Figure 1 is a plan view of a loose-leaf book through spaced apart to conform to the disadapted to hold a large number of sheets in tance between the binder prongs 12. A

overlapped relation showing a supporting sheet-gripping member 16 may be supported 85 leaf therein made in accordance with my inby reinforcing strip 14 in such .a manner vention. that it will be movable into a position Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of against all of the sheets 10 when they are in the device showing a sheet in place ready to the bound position. In the instance shown,

be positioned beneath the gripping bar. gripping member 16 is hingedly mounted as 90 Fig. 3 1s a similar section showing .the at 17 to edge of strip 14 and 1s provlded with gripping bar partly raised. springs or analogous resilient means 18 Fig. iis a like section showing the relawhich will always urge the gripping memtion of parts when a sheet is being removed. her to the closed or sheet-engaging position Fig. 5 is a similar section with the grip: shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The structure shown 95 ping bar raised to release its hold on the herein provides for a plurality of these a sheet being removed. springs 18, each of which is wound about Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the supportthe hinge pin 17 in the well-known manner. ing leaf made in accordance with this inven- The free end of gripping member 16 should tion. 4 be curled slightly as at 19 to assure effective 100 Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary crosspressure against all sheets 10. Notches 20 sectional view through a means for locking are provided along the free edge of gripping the gripping bar in the open position. member 16 which straddle the respective ad- Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified form jacent prong 12 to allow free movement of of supporting leaf showing the same in a member 16 when the prongs are in either the 5 ring binder, and, open or closed position.

Fig. 9 is a vertical cross-section of the It may be desired to lock member 16 in the modified form of leaf entirely removed from open position as sheets 10 are being posithe binder. tioned. This position is clearly shown in Like reference characters refer to like Figs. 6 andZ, and the. invention contem- 11o Sheets 10 are next plates a simple latch which may be .made in any suitable manner or as shown in Fig. 7.

lug 20 may be formed integrally with member 16 at the position on the curled part engaging hinge pin 17 in a manner to present a projection beneath which locking member 20 may be disposed when the bar 16 is in the open position. As clearly illustrated in, Fig. 7, member 20 should be carried by strip ll and slidably mounted thereon by a rivet or like means 20 Which passes through slot 20 Each of the many overlapping sheets 10 has a plurality of equally spaced punchings 21 toallow the desired amount of offsetting to expose as much of the sheet along oneof its edges as is desired. Each sheet 10 should also be cut to form a margin between the punchings 21 and its bound edge, which is just great enough to fit snugly between the hinge 17 and prongs 12. Thus, an abutment the leaf 13 is, being turned over prongs 12 of the binder. The cooperation of prongs 12 and gripping bar 16 with the properly sized margin formed on the sheets 10 and their punchings, also prevents objectionable when leaf 13 is not being turned and sheets 10 are simply being-utilized as a part of an accounting system or the like.

This comparatively mits of sheet manipulation which is extremely desirable in a .visible index device as may further be seen from the following:

To assemble anumber of sheets 10 for use with this, invention, the leaf 13 should first be slipped over one group of the prongs 12 of the binder 9 to.lie in a substantially horizontal position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

placed thereon by threading the prongs 12 of the binder through the punchings 21 thereof with an exposed margin along the upper edge of any desired multiple of the spacing of the punchings in the sheets. Sheets 10 all fall to position on top of gripping member 16 and are more or.

less in a crooked condition. Gripping member 16 is next raised to the dotted position shown iii Fig. 3 and the sheets 10 allowed to drop down against reinforcing, member 14 and leaf 13. The proper size margin of each I lies between prong 12 and hinge 17 will align the bound edges of the sheets and bring the upper edges thereof into the properly spaced parallel relation. ping member 16 in the desired condition.

ith special reference at this time to Figs. 4 and 5 and the method of using this structure when it is desired to remove one ofthe 12 are snapped to the open position, all 0 the sheets lying movement of the sheets 10 1 simple structure per- 15 What I claim i:

above the sheet 10 it is desired to remove are swung over to the and the prongs then opened, as shown in and 5. The sheet it is desired to remove 1s then gripped and drawn to the position shown in It will be noticed that gripping member 16 is raised with the sheet until it reaches the position which is here illustrated in full lines of Fig. 5 where the sheet then becomes too weak to hold the gripping member and it automatically snaps back into the position where it is gripping the remaining sheets positioned shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, slipped off and the prongs closed. shown at 10 will then be swung over on top of gripping member 16 and the same action taken as previously described position them beneath member 16.

With reference, at this time, to the modified form shown in Figs. 8 and 9, it may be desired, to construct the leaf 13 in such a way that it has an angle strip 50 along the bound edge which has one of its legs 51 extending upwardly at right angles to leaf 13 in such a way that it abuts the bound edges of sheets to again carries a gripping strip 53 hingedly mounted as at 54 to rigid strip 55 carried by the free end of leaf 13. This gripping strip 53 is also urged to the closed position by springs 56 or other suitable means, and is swung to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9 when it is desired to remove or insert sheets 10.

While the preferred form of the invention means of holding the free edges of the sheets 10 against movement relative to leaf 13.

'It is understood that many modifications may be made in the invention, and while but two specific forms of the shown and described, it is desired to be limonly by the scope of the appended c aims.

1. In combination with a loose leaf binder having a plurality of sheet-holding members and a plurality of sheets held in overlapped relation thereby, a sheet-supporting leaf having means abutting an edge of the overlapped sheets after they are positioned on said holding members.

.2. In combination with a loose leaf binder having a plurality of sheet-holding members swinging invention have been position shown at 10' shown in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive provides aand a plurality of sheets held in overlapped relation thereby, a sheet-supporting leaf having means abutting an edge of the overlapped sheets and means for exerting a yielding pressure against the face of all said sheets after their edges reach the abutted position.

3. In combination with a loose leaf binder having a plurality of sheet-holding members and a plurality of sheets held in overlapped relation thereby, a sheet-supporting leaf also held by said holding members having means abutting one edge of the sheets and means movable into and out of engagement with the face of the sheets Whereby'the same are precluded from displacement from against said sheet-supporting leaf.

4. In combination with a loose leaf binder having a plurality of sheet-holding members and a plurality of sheets held thereby, a sheet-supporting leaf also held by said holding members means abutting one edge of the sheets held thereabove. I t

5.- In combination with means for holding aplurality of sheets in overlapped relation,

a sheet-supporting leaf having means movable into and out of engagement with the face of said overlapped sheets and means abutting one edge of each of said sheets.

6. A sheet-supporting leaf of the character described including a sheet-gripping bar hingedly secured along one edge thereof and a plurality of aligned openings spaced inwardly from said edge for the purpose specified.

7. A sheet-supporting leaf of the character described comprising a body member, a gripping bar hingedly mounted thereon and beneath said sheets havingalong a line spaced inwardly from one edge of notches in the free thereof and a pluralit ar, said openings and edge of the gripping notches'being in register when the bar is against the body member.

8. An auxiliary leaf for ring-binders comprising a body member, a plurality of ringengaging openings therein, agripping bar hingedl mounted on said body along the edge a jacent said openings and notches formed in the free edge of said bar adapted to straddle therings when in the operative position.

9. In combination with a loose leaf binder having a plurality of sheet-holding rings and a plurality of sheets held in overlapped relation thereby, a sheet-supporting leaf also held by said rings having means abut,- ting one edge of the sheets and means movable into and out of engagement with the face of the sheets, said engaging means adapted to release its hold upon any or all of said sheets when they have traveled a redetermined distance along said rings.

10. A sheet-supporting leaf of the character described comprising a body member engageable by a plurality of sheet-carrying rings, a gripping bar mounted thereon for movement into and out of engagement with the sheets supported bysaid rings and means RICHARD M. VAN VALKENBURGH.

being confined within said 7 

